Visioneer Mobility Color Cordless Scanner Hardware Review

No, seriously… I do. We live in a digital world, and it makes life easier. With different storage options, local and cloud, it just makes sense to make those documents take on a different life. Even if only from a backup standpoint, having digital documents is a must have.

One issue remains though. All that paper isn’t always generated/accumulated at home. One business trip alone can generate lots of paper, and even if one has a traditional scanner at home, manually scanning in stuff is sometimes more than a chore. What folks like me need is a truly mobile scanner. A smartphone might work in a pinch, but as anyone who has had a need to get a professional document digitized on the fly can tell you, sometimes, cellphone cameras simply don’t cut it.

The review unit came boxed with power cord with adjustable prongs, software disk, 2GB microSD card and adapter, cleaning tool, mini-USB cable, and the scanner itself encased in a decent black carry case. First, it is really mobile, coming in at 11.54 x 2.82 x 2.07 inches and less than a pound and a half in weight. The review unit itself has a hard plastic exterior, with glossy white on top over a black body. It looks like a basic scanner would with power and feed buttons to the right, and SD, mini-USB and full USB ports at the back. The entire thing is infinitely portable, and has a nice design aesthetic.

The unit came with what seemed to be a full charge, so I was able to get into using it immediately. The true draw is that it does not need a full-fledged computer to operate; scanning documents is easy and intuitive; with the device on, face-up feeding auto-launches the hardware, and the device stores the scanned documents to the included SD card. It does 300 ppi JPG or PDF too, and it is possible to scan directly in wired fashion to supported Android devices via USB debugging. The replaceable rechargeable battery ensures that wires can be left at home, and it boasts 300 scans before a recharge is needed. The quality of the scans is really good, and it handles paper 2 x 2 inches all the way up to letter-sized sheets.

An added optional benefit that Visioneer advertises that I was able to verify independently is Eye-Fi card functionality. A configured Eye-Fi card gives the scanner enviable wireless functionality that is really hard to beat, and makes it invaluable on the road.

It doesn’t do both sides of the paper at once; and I did feel that holding it a bit too hard could ding it up, but all in all, the Mobility Color is a great device that changes mobile productivity in a positive way. It makes one completely rethink the use of paper, and removes a major barrier to being completely digital.